A wonderful mixture of witchcraft and isolation of the Appalachians, the story Verity and her familiar Jack is adventurous, loving and a little scary. This book feels like an upper middle/lower YA fantasy and would be great for any age. Verity comes to know her own limitations, but never stops trying to find new ways solve the troubles facing the town of Foxfire.

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for this DRC.
#VerityVoxandtheCurseofFoxfire #NetGalley

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire is a charming witchy story that is basically a slightly darker Kiki’s delivery service set in Appalachia. I loved the blend of cozy and creepy elements of this book (think Over the Garden Wall, T Kingfisher, darker Grimm fairy tales/folklore, etc.) and think this would be an ideal read to get in the fall/halloween spirit. It’s a little hard to tell what age group this book is best suited for. The storytelling and narration style in the beginning feels very young and more targeted for younger middle grade readers. However, in the second half of the book things get quite dark and I think the more gruesome parts might be too much for very young readers and better suited for upper middle grade. I do think the pacing dragged a bit in the second half of the book. There was a lot of build up to the first encounter between Verity and Earl and not much happened with it? The following encounters felt a little repetitive and I think it might have been better to combine/eliminate at least one of the confrontations and have the big confrontation with the Mountain/Earl happen sooner. I loved the found family aspect of this story (Gilly in particular is a favorite character), Jack-Be-Nimble's frequent metamorphosis, and I also really enjoyed the sapphic relationship between Verity and Tacita. I would love to read more books about their future adventures together. Overall a solid witchy middle grade story and fun read!

Thank you Page Street YA and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book!

**My thanks to Page Street Publishing for providing me with an advanced review copy via NetGalley**

4.5 stars

Kiki’s Delivery Service meets Motheater

This is a nearly perfect novel that bridges middle grade and young adult fiction. Verity Vox is a young witch, tasked with moving yearly to communities that need her help and magical intervention; this year she is called to the cut-off Appalachian village of Foxfire, which has been laboring under a curse.

Verity is a strong, plucky, intelligent young heroine, but she also has a great deal of growing up to do in this novel. She is a naturally brilliant overachiever who has always been able to solve problems with her natural talents, up until Foxfire—where she is faced with challenges that force her to think outside the box and work at creating solutions that don’t come easily to her, as well as acknowledging her own limitations. This book would have been amazing for me as I was transitioning from middle to high school; as a bright kid, I had always found schoolwork easy and intuitive, until I faced my first real academic challenge in honors classes in high school and had to suddenly learn how to study. With Verity as a model, I think the transition would have been easier to face, and so I’d highly recommend this book to previously high-achieving students, athletes, or other competitors who find themselves really struggling in their area of expertise for the first time.

This book is delightful. Not only the characters but how they interact. The town, the curse, how people are suspicious of her in the beginning. I love the writing, flows very well, and it's magical and cozy, filled with a sense of kindness, community, and helping others without attatchments.

What an enchanting adventure! Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire swept me away with its perfect blend of mystery, heart, and magic. Verity is a fierce and clever young witch, and watching her grapple with the limits of her power and the weight of responsibility was both inspiring and deeply moving. The town of Foxfire is eerie and beautiful, full of secrets and sorrow, and Tacita completely stole my heart. I loved the emotional depth layered into every spell and shadow, especially as Verity learns that true strength isn’t just about magic it’s about connection, courage, and care. A must read for anyone who believes in the quiet, powerful magic of doing the right thing even when it’s hard. #youngadultfantasy #yafantasybooks #fantasy #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations comes out Aug 5th.

Verity is an apprentice witch that gives a lot of novel Kiki vibes from Kiki's Delivery Service for me, and I've been chasing that high for ages now! She ends up being only to spend a year giving her services out to the town of Foxfire, which is wary about magic after dealing with a shady magic dealer. This read was particularly good and I think it's a great middle grade book that gives Kiki's vibes but darker magic vibes.

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟.5
If you are looking for studio Ghibli Kiki's Delivery Service cozy vibes, this book, Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire, is for you! Magical world, good world-building, witchy vibes, and perfect for the fall | spooky season that is coming soon.
This is a YA, so I did feel like the pacing was a little slow for my liking, but I could easily see this being a big hit for middle school children.

Thank you, NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

A charming sapphic witchy story perfect for autumn and fans of Kiki's Delivery Service, filled with a cursed town, a witch in training, and a girl who has lost her heart! Verity Vox is a witch in training who has never met a problem she couldn't solve, yet when she gets her next destination to where she is meant to train, asking her to come to the town that is cursed and help them break it she finds herself in over her head. Verity soon finds herself in a cursed town in the Appalachian mountain where the residents are all cursed by a traveling magician who calls himself the king of the mountain who makes deals with the townspeople... deals that will cost them everything. Verity's first task is getting the townsfolk to even accept her help and then she finds herself tracking down a missing girl.... a girl who made a deal that might be impossible to break. Magic, slow burn romance, adventure, and a very cozy autumnal small town read! I had an absolute delightful time reading this. It's the perfect autumn read for your tbr! It's got a studio ghibli-esque vibe to it and it's a charming atmospheric read. I loved the characters and the journey that they went on! I would absolutely recommend this!!

Release Date: August 5, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Page Street Publishing | Page Street YA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Rated 4.5 stars on Storygraph.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the narration style; it’s hard to describe, but it felt like I was being told a story in a cozy room and it somehow felt nostalgic.

The plot was lovely, with lessons to be told of greed, of reciprocity, kindness, and both the plights and happiness of small towns. All told in a very cozy way that explored the themes but did not feel too dark or treacherous. It was a story I couldn’t wait to pick back up every time I set it down. Definitely a book I would love to read by the fire, or in the mountains, or with a cup of tea.

I rated this 4.5 stars because while the narration style was lovely and felt unique, I didn’t quite feel the depth of the story and characters as much as I have with other books. As much as I enjoyed my time I just felt the story was very surface level.

“I’ve felt alone my whole life, but I don’t when I’m with you. You’re my home, and I am yours.”

When apprentice witch Verity Vox and her cat-familiar Jack discover a mysterious leaf that reads “We are cursed. Help us,” they're pulled into a mystery that leads them to the forgotten town of Foxfire. There, Verity is welcomed by Gilly, a young woman who offers her shelter—and a glimpse into the town’s troubles. People are vanishing in the mountains, the town’s only bridge has collapsed, and all signs point to a shady, mysterious, and magical man named Earl. Determined to break the curse and uncover the truth, Verity digs deeper only to find Tacita—the girl who summoned her to Foxfire. As Verity’s power grows stronger, so do her feelings for Tacita. With the fate of Foxfire in Verity’s hands, she must stay focused, but her heart strays and longs for connection, knowing that once she saves the people of the town, she must leave and continue her journey as an apprentice.

This middle-grade fantasy has an irresistible cozy vibe that's perfect for a rainy day. With flying brooms, rich folklore, and a cast of unique characters, it offers an appealing atmosphere. I especially loved Jack as Verity’s cat-familiar, and my favorite whimsical element was that Verity sings her spells, which made the magic even more enchanting. I appreciated the cast of strong female characters, especially Verity. I also fell in love with the setting of Foxfire—gloomy, eerie, and cozy—which evoked the nostalgia of a supernatural show taking place in the 1900s. The sapphic romance between Verity and Tacita was another highlight. It was slow-burn, subtle, and sweet. That said, the pacing felt slower than I anticipated. It took a while for Verity to confront the curse, which made it harder to stay engaged. The writing also felt flat at times. I’m not sure if that's due to the third-person narration or the middle-grade tone, but I did find myself wishing for more emotional depth. Overall, I felt it was a magical story and great for younger audiences. If you’re looking for something adventurous, sapphic, and similar to Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, this is the perfect book for you!

I thought this was a clever story. The writing style was odd at times, but certainly kept you on your toes. I thought the love story felt like an afterthought. It had a cute meeting and ending, but the middle was left mostly to imagination of the reader. Which is fine if the intended audience is lower YA. I liked the villain and the atmosphere of the town. The mystery was compelling. I just think the writing style/narration choice made it hard to emotionally attach to characters on a deeper level.

This cozy little book is wonderful in all the right ways! We’re introduced to Verity, a young witch in training, who finds herself in the town of Foxfire. Set in the heart of Appalachia, Verity has to work towards helping out a town that already has a wary view of magic. This book reminds me a lot of Kiki’s Delivery Service, and I think that’s a big part of why I enjoyed this book. The story and the words are beautifully put together, and this is a book I can see a lot of people enjoying.

In Appalachia there is magic in community, hospitality, gossip, and the deals we make with the darkness.
But some people have more magic than the simple spells we murmur over our biscuits and gravy, and those people are witches.
Verity Vox is a witch in training and finds herself drawn to the forgotten town of Foxfire by another forgotten wish on a leaf.
Crops dont grow, milk goes sour, and nobody can leave. Accompanied by her familiar, Jack, and her new friends Verity goes up against the cunning contractor that has bound the people of Foxfire and faces the limits of her seemingly endless power.
A cunning story about small town community, growing up, and the magic we all have inside us. Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire comes out August 4th, a must read for anyone who is a fan of Kikis Delivery Service, Appalachian folklore, and coming of age stories.

"What is magic after all but having the gall to believe you could tell the world around you how it ought to be then watching as it did as it was told?"

Definitely unique in the YA space — reads closer to a middle grade novel but has a significant amount of body horror content (which is probably what drove the recommended age from PW up). I liked the Kiki's Delivery Service vibes Verity had and the plot felt original, but the pacing and narration style were not for me. Not sure if I missed big chunks of information because of that or if some plot points just came sweeping out of nowhere. If you need more books for young readers coming into the teen collection for the first time, this is a solid choice — provided they're okay with depictions of hearts out of chests, human flesh monsters, and people just withering away into corpses described in detail.

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire is the kind of cozy read that sneaks up on you. Soft magic, wholesome sapphic romance, and a village of prickly yet kindhearted people. It’s not a loud story with dramatic battles and explosive spells. Instead, it’s a quiet tender tale about belonging, healing, and choosing your home. If you like your fantasy with a touch of Kiki’s Delivery service and Anne of Green Gables but queerer, whimsier, and witchier, this one’s for. You.

This book is an absolute gem! It has me craving crisp fall days and the mountains. Don Martin's writing is melodic. The characters they have crafted will stay with me for a long time. I love Verity's spirit and this "new" type of witch. I would love to be friends with her. I can't wait to recommend this to students!

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire is a cosy folkloric fantasy about a young witch learning to trust her magic and find her place in a strange, sorrow-filled mountain town.

The tone reminded me a little of Kiki’s Delivery Service, with a touch of something darker lurking underneath. Foxfire feels like a real place, full of charm and grief and stubborn hope. I loved the way the story balanced its whimsical magic with heavier themes of loss, fear, and community resilience.

Verity is such a loveable narrator as well! Brave, kind, a little unsure of herself but always determined. Her bond with Jack made me smile throughout, and the quiet sapphic romance added a lovely softness without taking over the plot.

Perfect for fans of magical realism, cosy fantasy, and stories where power looks a lot like kindness.

Perfect for fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service, Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire will sweep you off your feet.

What a truly heartwarming and whimsical story of a young witch trying to find her place in the world.

This book somehow made me cry and laugh all within a span of a sentence. Filled with hope, love and a bit of magic Verity, Jack and the town of Foxfire worded its way into my heart. I adored the sense of community in this story. While Foxfire has its little quirks the imagery and people of this cursed little mountain town were truly enchanting. I loved how the mountains were described and how silly and real characters like Mrs. Miller and Theny Hazlett felt.

Verity was also a very enchanting main character. Full of wit and gumption I had no doubt in my mind Verity was going to find a solution to any problem thrown her way. I appreciated the queer romance in this as well. Tacita and Verity were adorable together and I wish I could read more about their adventures.

Lastly, I loved some of the darker twists this story had. I really enjoyed the way our villain King Earl was described and how gruesome some of his deals were. I also enjoyed how the writing conveyed the heaviness, grief and sorrow the town of Foxfire had been through yet, the humor and whimsical tones throughout the story really conveyed how much hope this little cursed town had and it made me love it so much more.

Overall, this was a truly enjoyable and cozy little story. I highly recommend to all my Kiki’s Delivery Service fans (especially if Gigi was one of your favorite cheaters - Jack Be Nimble is truly the best animal companion in this story) and those who are looking for a little magic in their lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy and curious tale about a witch in training takes the reader to a small forgotten town of Foxfire. Verity must aid the town within the trickster that has preyed on the townsfolk and kept them sequestered from the rest of the world. Along the way, Verity and her familiar, Jack, help the town with their troubles, make new friends, search for a missing girl, and uncover a way to end the curse that is plaguing the coal mining town of Foxfire.

The writing of this story was reminiscent of Lemony Snicket narrating stories from my childhood. I felt immersed into the life of Verity Vox and the troubles in Foxfire through unique and whimsical storytelling. I could envision a series of Verity’s adventures that I would repeatedly want to dive into. This is a timeless tale that I look forward to sharing with my kids as they get older! I absolutely adored this book and am so thankful to have received an ARC.

Verity Vox is an apprentice witch. Travelling to a new town every year she sings her spells helping however she can along with her familiar, a most-of-the-time cat, Jack. When she’s summoned to a town cursed by a peculiar man with magic deals that always go wrong, she knows she will truly be tested. But the hills have eyes (and other things) and there’s something powerful under the mountain. Can Verity solve all the mysteries of Foxfire and save her friends before her time is done?

Oh, my heart. As a West Virginia girl who grew up with magic in her soul, a song ringing through the trees, and creek mud… well, everywhere, this one is a special delight.

Foxfire is a forgotten town with woes of all sorts, the fantastically magical deals and the mundane trials that aren’t so singular in a state full of forgotten towns. Verity is here to help, but it’s hard to help people who were abused and abandoned by the people promising the good life. For the first time she experiences the feeling of being unwanted and it’s in a place that needs the most help. Trust is the rarest commodity. Her journey is hard but worth it.

This cozy story is packed with magic, yes, we have flying brooms and singing spells, cryptids and folklore galore, but it also dives deep into the magic of the heart. Through understanding and connection, we see the power of people working together and the deep pull of home and family that no curse can twist or break.

Y'all! This is oh so fun. If you're looking for a middle grade adventure packed with heart, folklore, and 'there's magic in them there hills' vibes then look no further.

Verity and Jack are sublime, they can visit my house and help out anytime!

I love Foxfire and the history that's rooted in a real story of a forgotten town. The people are so real, I felt right at home with the side eyes and begrudging acceptance and never fail hospitality to boot! I loved watching the characters embrace who they are and what they can do together. Nothing beats the magic of love and understanding.

Figuring out the local cryptids was a special bonus while reading. And the songs, obviously! I can't wait for the audiobook!